When Heritage Falls Apart: Spatial Justice and Contested Urban Futures

This paper examines the rapid transformation of Addis Ababa’s historic core, focusing on the Arada sub-city as a case study of urban redevelopment and heritage loss in contemporary Africa. Cultural and architectural heart of the Ethiopian capital, Arada’s vernacular and hybrid built fabric—reflecting Armenian, Indian, European, and local influences—has been subjected to large-scale demolition. Drawing on satellite imagery, GIS mapping, and ground-level photographic documentation, the study traces the diachronic erasure of traditional urban typologies such as gebi and the displacement of thousands of residents. Framed within critical spatial and heritage theory, it argues that redevelopment operates as a form of spatial cleansing that reconfigures social relationships, displaces cultural memory, and legitimises new monumental aesthetics aligned with visions of wealth and modernity. Through collaboration with a local NGO, crowdsourcing and the use of forensic visual methods, the research contributes to debates on spatial justice and heritage sustainability in the Global South. Ultimately, Addis Ababa’s remaking exposes tensions between economic growth and the right to place, revealing how urban development reshapes not only the material city but also the narratives of national identity and belonging.